It’s one of the longest running parties out there, and one of the best respected in terms of booking. This coming Sunday, Space Ibiza's We Love…is bringing none other than Underworld to come rock the main room.
In anticipation of what’s sure to be one of the summer’s most massive and well received parties, we caught up with We Love…Musical Director Mark Broadbent about the decision behind booking Underworld, the Savana Potente takeover, how the season is going, and why Mark thinks We Love…has been so successful.
Seems like everywhere you look in Ibiza, the colourful and tasteful We Love…artwork is there to remind you that every Sunday it's time to explore avenues of electronica at Space. How has the season gone so far? The season started amazingly, and we had the best June in 15 years. It’s a different story now that every other fucker has started putting on free parties (right across the road!) and the bars are openly flouting the licensing laws. Everybody wants a piece of the pie and I’d be lying if were to say that this has not affected us. However, we do put on a party for a certain targeted demographic, so our shows are always well attended by a very musically savvy and adventurous crowd. The music has been the best it’s been in the 15 years I’ve been booking acts for the club, and I’m very happy with how this has progressed. So there are many good things to talk about outside of the political s*** we all tend to get dragged down by on the island at this time of year. Life’s good, we live on Ibiza!
Can you explain a little bit about how the Underworld booking came about? And are they an act you have always wanted to book at We Love…? As with all our bookings, we book people who we are fans of, people who have made music that has in some way effected us in a positive way, and we have all been huge fans of Underworld since the get go, so many moons ago. They are the original and best stadium acid house band, and I can only imagine how they are going to look and sound in our main room. And that’s about the crux of it. I really wanted to see them, couldn’t get off the island this summer to see them at their other shows, so we booked them to come and play for us!
How did the month long Savana Potente takeover for August happen? We have worked with Massimo and the Savana crew for the last 10 years on Ibiza, and in their hometown of Tuirn on bits and pieces, with last year being the first time that they hosted the main terrace for two weeks in August. It worked out really well for us as our core audience is English, and there are less English about in August, and many, many Italians that we need help with engaging. We invited the Savana crew in the whole of August this summer and I’m really happy with the lineups that we have put together with them, a really great selection of old and new school players and producers in a very similar fashion to how we do things ourselves – another reason we work well together, and I suppose that they do have a similar outlook to what is important within the scene. Reference the future with the past.
Finally, We Love…is one of the most successful and longest running parties on the island - perhaps in the world. What do you think has kept it fresh and exciting for all these years? Me! Ha ha ha ha…Well it’s a part of it anyway. I am and always have been obsessed with music and sharing new musical finds with other people. This part of me has become an extension of everything I have been doing the last 18 years. It really has been my life’s work, and if you put enough effort into anything for as long as we do in the scene then you’re going to be successful. If I’d worked as a bricklayer as hard as I’ve worked at this job, I’d been very successful too. So hard work is one answer to the question. Another answer would be that the venue we run the show from. Space is the best club in the world for us to do what we do and they have been most helpful enabling to us this past 15 years. The last and most important answer to the question is surrounding yourself with passionate people, and creating a family-like vibe around everything that you do, so that people feel a part of it and have some personal ownership on the event.
Check out full lineup and purchase your ticket below as this is an event not to be missed!
